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Six Feet Under, and Still Breathing: The Jaded Light
What We Are Now It was the crack of morning. The sun was just rising up over the hills, getting ready to grace the sand dunes with its heavenly light. Surprisingly, there wasn't much activity going on; there were few Adjuchas running around and tearing each other to shreds, and there weren't even any flying Hollows covering the skies. All in all, it looked like a devastated city, with nothing more than dense spiritual energy holding it up. However, when one stepped inside the innards of the area, it seemed like any other home, set up in a particularly comfortable fashion. It was like someone had taken the destroyed remnants and fixed them up as if they had never been annihilated at all. And one of the helpers that made it that way was about to wake up. "Urrgh..." A feminine groan could be heard from one of the rooms. Inside there was two people. The woman placed her hands to her face, trying to adjust herself from her dormant state. As she looked over her shoulder, she could see the prostrate figure lying behind her, arms wrapped around her. A small grin crawled up her face, her mind going back to the events of the night before this morning. Slowly, she allowed herself to move, knowing that she would probably wake up her husband. Her name was Tereya Haruo. His name was Nori. "Nnnn..." As she moved, the small amount of drool that had collected in her husbands mouth smeared across her arm, drenching it. In a few moments, it would dry, leaving an uncomfortable residue on her bicep. The man himself had hardly been woken; despite his wife's movement, he still clung to her dearly, head buried into her shoulder and eyes shut tight as they would go. As he slept, more and more drooled pooled onto his wife's arm. Tereya should have stocked up on paper towels. "O...oh, my god!" Growling, and clearly annoyed, Tereya turned herself to face him as much as she could, with his arms wrapped around her. She was probably going to jump right into an argument for this later on, but the guy was being disgusting, at a bad time! She pulled himself right out of his arms, but stayed close to him in order to make sure she'd actually hit him. She pulled her arm back, took a deep breath.... And backhanded him across the face, the strength enough to knock him out of their bed. SMACK! Nori slid backwards off the bed, before finally falling off backwards off of it, landing on his head, then watching in disdain as the rest of his body came slamming down after it. Fortunately, he was out of her line of sight... He didn't care what her reason was; if she thought he wasn't going to retaliate, then she was one dumb bitch. "You fucker!" The bed they had been so comfortably resting on flew towards her at breakneck speeds, with Nori holding one of it's legs and swinging it like a bat. She was going to pay for waking him up so rudely... Weren't they past that point in their relationship?! What kind of example would this set for their daughter!? "...oh, boy." Thank God she had Shunpo. Barely, she was able to avoid being crushed against the wall by the bed they oh-so slept in, on one knee and on one foot in a kneeling pose. She looked over at Nori, grinning in a rather smug manner. "Mornin', honey..." She drawled, as if nothing had ever happened. However, she could easily assume that he wasn't going to just shake it off like she could. "How was your sleep?" With one hand, she attempted to wipe off the drool on her shoulder. Without any hesitation at all, he took the broken leg still in his hand and flicked his wrist; launching it at her like a spear. However, his expression wasn't one of fury, nor did he show any visible signs that he was anything other than a little grumpy because it was morning. A slight nod was directed at the drool she was wiping off of her shoulder, but it didn't really occur to him that it could be his. Nori drooling was as likely as Tereya having dimples. "Good morning, Tereya... it was nice, but I had some trouble getting up." "Oh, I bet you did..." Tereya grumbled, looking over at the bed... that was smashed up against the wall. Standing up, she walked over to it and reached within the boards. "And I think you woke up Mitsune... hell, with that, you might as well have woken up the neighbors." Fishing out a lighter and a cigarette, she placed the butt end within her mouth, lit it, and tossed the lighter away in a swift motion. In a similar motion, a small blonde girl with unmanigable hair took the thown lighter and a conveniently stolen cigarette, popped the bud into her mouth, then lit in; perfect in her mimicry of her mother. It took Nori a few moments to figure out what had actually just happened before he used his spiritual pressure to extinguish both of their flames. The girl, however, didn't seem to be infuriated by it, simply pulling the cigarette slowly out of her mouth before exhaling a perfect ring into her mother's face. "Mitsune says good morning!" "...." For a moment, Tereya kept her eyes shut, the corners twitching. A vein was showing in her jaw, showing clear agitation at both the swiping of her precious cigarette, and the smoke blown in her face. A grin, despite herself, crossed her countenance, and she looked at the small girl with pupil-shrunken eyes. "Good mornin' to you too, ya little bitch...." She muttered, not bothering to hide her irritation. A devilish grin was shot back at her as the girl dropped the cigarette to the floor. "Who're you callin' a bitch, you tired out whore..?" Mitsune taunted, then gained an entirely clueless expression on her face. It only took a moment for it to be replaced with a cheery smile. "Mitsune's gonna take a bath!" She shouted enthusiasticly, then disintegrated into a red outline, surely heading to the bathroom. Nori, however, was not as amused as his wife. Staring at her maliciously, he let his hand fly in a large arc, smacking her lightly upside the head and causing the cigarette that was still in her mouth to fall promptly to the floor. "It's your fault she's like that..." He grunted, folding his arms. Briefly mourning the loss of another cigarette, she raised her head up, a rather tired expression and frown coming over her face. "I know. Just like Mom, right?" She asked, allowing herself to step towards the mirror that was hung on another wall. As she started to take a look at herself, she sighed heavily, raising a hand and taking a strand of her newly colored hair to her face. Ever since the years had went by, it was already starting to get lighter, though the process would no doubt be slow. She was so used to the black hair that had always been around with her... hopefully, it would stay this color for a while. At least she had kept most of her physique... Grinning a little, Tereya decided to show off a little, performing some poses and stretching in order to check herself. Though she felt like she had lost most of her "battle form", she didn't mind the fact that she was becoming a lot more... ladylike. Was it because she had finally allowed herself to settle in? Or was it simply because of the after-effects of the child? If the latter was possible, she silently thanked Mitsune for being born. "You should lose that baby fat already." Nori chided, looking away as she began posing in front of her mirror. She looked better when she had abs... Not to mention that her hair had changed color, as well as her eyes... It was like he was married to a completely different person. "And why don't you dye your hair like a normal person?... I don't like you with brown hair..." "Me, neither..." Tereya agreed promptly. "Go get me some dye and I'll be glad to do that...." Standing straight, Tereya put her hands to her face for a moment, before she moved them away in a "peek-a-boo" fashion. A fake smile was on her face, her blue eyes wide. Then, when she moved to cover her face again, it was fixed with her traditional scowl, as well as dnagerously narrowed eyes. Her irises had switched from blue to red in a matter of seconds. Nori dismissed her demand easily with a wave of his hand as he sat on the floor, his gaze shifting lower to the stone floor below. "... Maybe we should get a new bed..." He grumbled to himself, though it was loud enough for Tereya to hear. After a short pause, he directed his attention back to her. "After you broke our last one, I guess I'm going to have to pay for... steal... A new one, right?" "!!!" An alerted and annoyed expression came over Tereya's face, and she stared at Nori incredulously. "Me?" She repeated, dumbfounded. "I'm not the one who used the bed as a baseball bat!! Who the fuck did you think you were, Barry Bonds?!" She turned to face him, fixing him with an irate glare. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that the woman who never watches T.V. and only enjoys going to walks knows about sports. So you're a baseball enthusiast now?" Nori fixed a stare at Tereya. It was fun to poke holes in her character. "Hey, I watch TV!" Tereya corrected, folding her arms across her chest. "At least, when I was with Kuro...but only when I'm really fuckin' bored.... and that's a lot. Besides..." She walked over to him, until she was standing right in front of him. "I don't actually think there's gonna be cable here in these parts. "That's the point, you retard." He grumbled, not bothering to be irritated by the fact that his head was near her waist because he was sitting on the floor. "Don't make me smack the shit out of you, like I did when we were in that hotel room... You don't want that to happen again, right?" Nori giggled. It wasn't as if she could actually do anything to shut him up. "Oh, really?" Smirking at the memory, Tereya allowed herself to go into a kneeling position so that she could look Nori in the face, almost daring him to repeat his actions. "Well, I don't think you want your head bashed into the floor right now, either, so that makes two of us." Frowning, Nori looked away for the third time, not daring to provoke his wife with anything; word or actions. Instead, he sat there, waiting to be dismissed. This reminded him too much of Sasha... Which was not a pleasant memory. It was still impossible for him to shake off the urge to do what his wife said when she threatened him. "Aw, what is it...?" Tereya teased, leaning in towards him. "Am I...?" Her face was just inches away from his, and her eyes were half-lidded in a rather relaxed expression. "Scaring you...?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she pressed his lips to his in a chaste kiss before pulling back. Slowly, she stood up, brushing herself off down to the knees. She stepped back from him, deciding to stay a moment. "Well, I'm gonna go get ready, then prepare breakfast. You gonna stay and...uh...collect dust?" She rolled her eyes. "... Probably." Nori replied honestly, shooting her a dull glance. It wasn't like there was anything to do around here. Maybe he'd go check on Mitsune? It wasn't as if she couldn't handle herself, but it was always fun to baby her... Until she got nasty about it... Fucking Sasha... Made Mitsune screwed up... I want my sweet little girl back... Shrugging, Tereya walked off, opening the door and stepping out. "Just hope the brat came out of the bathroom by now..." She muttered to herself, promptly shutting the door behind her. Her steps were light, bare feet treading the ground as she made her way towards the bathroom door. Other than such, there was nothing to do... without the Kuro family, there was no one to argue with. Maybe she'd go visit her brother just to check on how he was doing.... Unfortunately, she wasn't. Small wisps of steam escaped through the crack in the bottom of the door, showing that she was still taking a shower... And wasting all the hot water. As she got closer, a light humming could be heard as the child hummed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Finally, the water stopped, along with the singing, and Mitsune began getting dressed into her everyday clothes. "Mommy should have breakfast ready by the time Mitsune gets out, uuu~!" Tereya happened to be by the door. "No, Mommy does not have breakfast ready!!" She called into the bathroom, leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. Was she using up all the hot water?! Silently, she prayed that the child would burn herself for doing so. "... Mommy should have breakfast ready by the time Mitsune gets out, UUUUU!" Mitsune called back, emphasizing her point with her nonsense word. If it wasn't ready when she got out, she would throw a tantrum, and then Daddy would yell at Mommy and get Mitsune what she wanted! The shower turned back on as steam began to pour back into the room. "Maybe it Mitsune takes another shower, it would give Mommy more time to make breakfast!" "LIKE HELL YOU ARE!!!" Tereya snapped, rising off of the wall. There was no way she was going to get her hygiene ruined by her own child! Rearing her arm back, she slammed the door open and walked briskly inside. "YOU BETTER GET YOUR LITTLE ASS OUT OF THAT SHOWER, RIGHT NOW!!!" "Bitch." The second the door was opened, Tereya was greeted by a stream of scalding hot water, aimed directly at her face. "What are you even going to do about it..?" She taunted, lowering the shower nozzle. "Try anything, and I'll just cry and tell Daddy that you hit me... And then he'll get pissed at you and take my side. So... Why don't you just go ahead and make my breakfast already, Mommy?" No sooner had she finished that last sentence that Tereya re-appeared in front of her, grabbed the child by the skin of her arm, and hauled her out of the shower. "Yeah, yeah, go tell that to someone who gives two shits and a fuck about it..." She snapped, irate by the fact that she now had new burn marks along her arm and part of one half of her face thanks to the attack on her person. Without hesitation, she threw the child out of the bathroom (clothes and all), and slammed the door behind her. However, she didn't step in right away. Instead, she took a seat on the tub side, one leg bent, and it's foot placed in front of where she was sitting. She had a feeling Nori would come in any minute now... Thud. The girl landed in something soft and comforting... Nori's arms! Frowning and sniffling, she snuggled into her father's chest, sobbing every few moments for good measure. "M-M-Mommy was m-mean to me..." She sniffled, looking up pleadingly at her father. This was going to be perfect! If she could get rid of Tereya, then her and Daddy could live alone, together... With him wrapped tightly around her finger. Nori stroked his daughter's hair comfortingly, keeping a hostile glare fixed on Tereya. They would talk about this later. "Tereya... Why don't you go and cook breakfast? I'll help Mitsune get dressed..." He offered, raising an eyebrow. If she was going to cook dinner before, why had she even come to the bathroom..? "I said I'd get ready first..." Tereya replied calmly, keeping a glare of her own at Nori. "I prefer not to stink up the kitchen with my lack of hygiene..." Was this guy blind? Did he not see the burn marks on her arms?! Where was the justification in that?! "Oh..." Continuing his petting, his glare flickered to the burn marks on her arm, and then to Mitsune's wet figure. Whatever conclusions she thought he was going to reach from seeing the burn marks... Would most likely conflict with the one he had reached. "So because she was using the shower when you wanted to, you just decided to reach in and throw her out?!" God, this guy was retarded. "What?!" Not only was Tereya angered, but clearly shocked. "No! I am not stupid enough to stick my hand in burning water just to take someone out of it!! She turned the fucking nozzle on me!!! Plus, she was gonna take a second shower just to waste my time!!!" "Mhm..." He huffed. In a split second, both him and her daughter disappeared using Kogeru, undoubtably in the child's room as Nori tried to calm her down. When he came back... He would be pissed. Tereya had always been a bitch, but she was a liar, too?! The love had obviously gone out of their marriage. "Uuuggghhh...." Tereya let out a groan, reaching over and turning the shower head off. She faced the doorway, crossing her legs in a lady-like fashion, and her arms placed across her lap. Of course the man would believe the child over her, due to her being... well... a child. However, she had grown used to such situations. When he came back, would she expect an argument? Or just some domestic abuse? Either way, if he thought she wouldn't retaliate... then he was one dumb bastard. ---- Nori sat at the table with Mitsune. Despite the earlier event, both seemed to be very cheery now. Even after the arguement he'd had with them earlier, Nori still expected her to make them both breakfast. If she didn't... Then he would have to cook... That wasn't going to happen. But in the meantime, he could entertain Mitsune! "Mitsune! What sound does the dog make?" "Woof! Woof!" "Good! What sound does the cat make?" "Meow! Meow!" "Yay! Now... What sound does the crab make..?" "... Crabs... Crabs don't make sounds, uuu!" "The Crab goes 'Nori'." "And this is what I get for being the cook around here..." Tereya huffed, even as she came out with two steaming plates of their favorite food. "You better hope that I didn't put something in it that might kill ya..." Though she was being sarcastic, she set the plates down in front of the two respectively before going back in to fetch her own. Nori perked up immediately. She'd made his favorite..? If she was trying to make him happy, it was certainly working... But before he could even dig into his own food, Mitsune had dove head first into hers, eating it all without a spoon or fork... Nori didn't even bother to try and stop her; she'd just bite him and get all of her unchewed food all over his arm. Tereya might get aroused from having people drool on her, but it wasn't really Nori's thing... Once Tereya stepped out again, she was holding her own plate, sparing a glance over towards the animalistic Mitsune. "Well, I see that someone's a bit starved..." She commented lightly, settling into her own seat. She placed an extra fork at the girl's side, just to make sure that she would fetch it in the extremely rare chance she needed it. "I'll make a trip and get you some cigarettes after breakfast, if you like..." Nori hummed quietly, taking a small bite of his food. He was eating slowly purposely, judging the quality of her cooking... But there was nothing to complain about! How was he supposed to make a comeback about it when she asked him, if there was nothing bad about it?! "Well, isn't that sweet of you..." Tereya commented, smiling a little. "I'll be goin' with you, maybe to get that black hair dye..." She looked over at him as he ate his own food, while she ate her own. After the first mouthful, she decided to pop the question. "Well? How is it? I noticed you aren't shoving your face in it like Mitsu is...." "... Good." Nori responded brashly, looking away for the umpteenth time. She didn't need to see the embarassed expression on his face right now. Mitsune finished her food, and let out a long, loud burp. "...." It was here that Tereya gave her a raised-eyebrow, "Wtf" look while she shielded her face with one arm. "Your compliments to the chef?" She questioned sarcastically, remembering that burping was one's way of doing so... in another country. "... Mitsune says that it tasted bad; the very essence of mediocrity. She would rather eat dogshit, but because there are no actual dogs in Hueco Mundo, she's stuck with your shitter-than-animal-shit cooking. Mitsune also says that the next time you want to make her favorite food, take the time to actually learn how to fucking cook it, uuu~!" She chirped, using Kogeru to leave the table before her mother could retaliate. "..... I thought it was good." Nori sighed dismissively. If she went to try and punish the child, he would have to restrain her. However, Tereya was actually chuckling, barely able to keep from laughing. She placed a hand to her mouth in order to help. "Ah... just like Mom..." She muttered, looking over at Nori in amusement. "But shouldn't you be telling her to watch her language?" Maybe it was her fault for Mitsune's colorful use of words... even she didn't cuss that much anymore.... except when she was mad. And when she was arguing with Nori. "Don't be a hypocrite, Tereya... I don't see you telling her to watch her language..." Nori grumbled, glacing at her with a lop-sided grin on his face. It was an odd look for him. "You should cook more often~... Maybe if you actually made me a sandwich when I asked for it once in a while, we would get into less fights." The second he was done with the suggestion the grin disappeared, and Nori went back to his normal emotionless look. "Well, I just fixed you a plate right there..." Tereya growled, scowling right back at the man. "And that was shitloads better than a sandwich." She raised a hand dismissively, waving him off. "Plus, what the hell did a sandwich have to do with what happened back there?" "I don't know what you're talking about; nothing did happen back there... Unless... Something did happen and you want me to talk to you about it?" A glare was pointed in her direction, warning her not to talk about it. What was the point of him ignoring it if she was just going to bring it up anyway? "I have to say Tereya, you have a real weird imagination... Just like you always think you beat me, or something. It's funny how you imagine things that never happened." "Oh, don't you start." Tereya gave him a pointed look, folding her arms across her chest. Though, she had to admit, the glare he was sending her way was quite amusing. "You know what else I can imagine that will never happen? You being on top." She didn't allow herself to smirk, because she could probably assume he would have something to counter with "... I... I've been on top before..." Nori groaned, turning away from her before finally disintegrating into a faint red outline. She shouldn't be making fun of him about that... Why was this even the subject of their conversation? How did it drift from Mitsune cursing to their sex life? Oh, that's right! It's because Tereya's a bitch. Nori grumbled to himself, now back in their bed room. Nasuka was pulled out of their closet and strung around his shoulder. "To the Human World..!" "Aw, leavin' me behind?" Immediately, before he could turn around, a set of hands found themselves around his shoulders, fingers massaging the muscle roughly, but in a manner that relaxed tension. "I said I was going with you to get that hair dye..." She commented, even as she continued to perform the massage on her husband. "But, I also might decide to visit the old family... maybe you could come along?" There was no response. Her husband's body practically went limp in her arms as he leaned on her for support; too engulfed in the massage to give her a proper answer. Though... At this point, she could do whatever she wanted with him, and he wouldn't mind. Go to visit her ex-husband? Why not! He could rub how much sex they had in his face... And Mitsune could eat him. Then he could destroy the house and rape all his women and children. It'd be nice! Oh, how she loved to put him in such a situation. Only barely noticing that her chest was pressed up against his back, she moved her head over his shoulder and grinned. It was times like this that she both enjoyed the fact that she was able to prove him wrong, as well as the fact that he was enjoying himself. "That's my boy..." She whispered, lightening up on the massage just so that he could find his words again. "So... the family, or the store?" "Whatever you want... Though... You should probably tone it down a little..." Nori moaned, glancing back at her dreamily. She knew what he was talking about... Unless she wanted another baby? Wasn't Mitsune enough..? Nori didn't want a little boy; they were too ugly for him. Not to mention their personalities were usually so vulgar... "All right, then. We can forget about the cigarettes for now..." Tereya decided, eyes shifting to their reddish color for a minute. She raised a hand, and with a flick of her fingers, opened up the torrential portal known as the Garganta. "Though... where the hell's Mitsune?" Thinking for a moment, she released her imprisoning grip on Nori's shoulders. "Should we go get 'er first?" "You can go get her, I'm going to stay here and wait for you..." Nori mumbled, still obviously shaken from what she'd done to him. "We can get the cigarettes on the way... I don't want you to be a total bitch when we get there. No reason to be on bad terms with the family, other than the fact that I stole you away from them and gave you my seed..." His eyes shut tightly as he awaited his wife's departure. Maybe he could rest while she was away... "...I'll be back one second." All it took was two Shunpo steps, before she came right back to the Garganta with a rather annoyed Mitsune sitting on her shoulders. She, however, had a rather cheery smile on her face. "All right, we're set to go!" She announced, setting the child beside her father. "Uuuuu!" Mitsune clung insanely to her mother's neck. "Piggy back! Piggy back ride for Mitsune! Mommy's a crab!" She cried, struggling against her mother before finally biting into her shoulder. She wasn't going to give it up so easily. And if she hit Mitsune for biting her, Nori would just get pissed again... Maybe they wouldn't have to go? Either way, it was a win for the daughter. Drip! A small amount of blood plopped from Tereya's shoulder to the floor. Normally, it would've had no effect on the woman. "...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" But, it was unfortunate that Mitsune had razor-sharp teeth for chompers. The pain shot through her head like a hangover, and she could feel her shoulder being stained with a warm red liquid. "GOD...DAMN IT!!!" She shouted, falling on one knee and attempting to shake the girl off... violently "NORI, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET HER OFFA ME!!!!" In a swift movement, Nori's hand clamped onto Tereya's head, preventing her from moving. Then, he pinched the bridge of Mitsune's nose shut, preventing her from breathing. After a few moments, she opened her mouth to gasp for air, and Nori removed her from Tereya's shoulder. "Bad girl!" Nori scolded, holding her in front of him. "Don't do that again!" Finally, he set her on the ground, content with his scolding. "Okay Daddy! Mitsune won't!" She lied. "....Ok.... now we're all set..." Tereya grumbled, holding her shoulder. She really hoped it wasn't too bad... she didn't want to call Sasha out again just for an embarrassing injury. "But you're keeping an eye on the kid!" With that, she leaped inside the Garganta. Upon her exiting the Garganta, she found Nori and Mitsune waiting on the other side, smug expressions plastered on both of their faces. They used Kogeru to bring them through the portal before Tereya made it to the other side... "Mommy is slow! Mommy is slow!' Mitsune giggled, smiling warmly at her water. Nori patted her head. "I'd love to heal you, Tereya, but it'd be kind of cheesey for me to release, heal you, and then seal my Zanpakuto again." "Oh, think you're hot shit, hm?" Immediately, Tereya reached over to flick Nori in the head. "Well, I don't need your healing, thank you very much!!!" Why did she have to have Nori as a part Demon, if he could do that? She knew he, as well as the child, would annoy her at this point on with the technique. Frowning, Nori rubbed his forehead. "O... Ow..." He whimpered. She didn't have to be so mean..! "I didn't say you needed ''it! I just said that I wouldn't use it!" A cry emitted from Nori's lips. Was he being overly dramatic on purpose? It was working. Upon seeing her father start to tear up, Mitsune bared her teeth at her mother. "Watch it, ''bitch..." Tereya blinked. "I didn't mean it like tha--" However, she snapped her attention to the curse directed towards her, courtesy of the piranha. "Watch your mouth!" She scolded, pointing a finger towards Mitsune. "Only I'm allowed to cuss... damn it!!!" Ok... maybe it was her fault that Mitsune was cussing.... "Says who? Why the fuck should I listen to you, you worn out old whore!" Mitsune growled, taking an imposing step towards Tereya. This bitch couldn't tell her what to do! She wanted Sasha! Sasha was better! Sasha taught her what she needed to know! Sasha kept her father in check! Sasha wa-- Smack. "Listen to your mother." Nori commanded, drawing his hand away from the back of her head. Tereya would have to pay him back for this later... As her father, he was going to be in turmoil for hitting her, even if it was only a little tap. "She's your mother, and my wife, whether you like it or not, and I'm not going to sit here and watch while you curse her out, even though I usually ignore it. Stop." Thank God that Nori had intervened, or else Tereya would've had to resort to a spanking right then and there. She gave her husband a small nod of appreciation, before she turned her back on the both of them. "Assuming you won't do that Kogeru shit again... care to follow?" In a dull flash of red, Nori appeared in front of her, looking back carelessly. "Sorry, what was that..? I didn't catch it." He mused, giggling and patting her on the should before walking slowly away from her. She could overtake him whenever she wanted, but when it came to closing distance in a short time, Nori would win easily. After all, Tereya didn't have Kogeru~.